Earlier this year, Media Experts welcomed WestJet back as a client after a two-year hiatus.
Media Experts has a long history of championing the Canadian market. The Montreal-born agency of more than 200 employees has offices in Canada’s three largest cities and a nuanced view of consumers across the country.
Acquired by IPG Mediabrands in 2015, Media Experts has maintained its independent spirit, agility and culture of client care, while leveraging the resources and scale of the global network now available to them. But almost 10 years later, and with a new CEO, it was time for a new beginning.
Media Experts helped Bell showcase its speed advantage within the Quebec market by aligning with F1 in Montreal. They created visual reminders of Bell’s speedy internet service with a city-wide takeover with strategically placed OOH.
After spending a year with another agency in the IPG Mediabrands network, Karel Wegert returned to Media Experts last year and resumed his nearly 20-year journey with the agency. His return marked an “opportune time to take a closer look at our positioning, branding and approaches to ensure we are delivering on our client promises while amplifying our dynamic agency culture,” he says. “This had to include not just the historically unique aspects of the agency but also the new and powerful capabilities that being part of IPG Mediabrands has brought.”
At a time when the marketing industry is globalizing, Media Experts combines a unique approach, offering an international breadth of tech, resources and buying power alongside domestic and regional expertise. It’s this combination that has already earned it major new account wins in the past year, including Honda and WestJet, a client of 15 years that is returning after two years with another agency. The first campaigns launched within Media Experts’ first 50 days on the account.
Media Experts has been tapped by Honda and Acura to lead their national accounts. They account wins are reflective of the coast-to-coast coverage and innovative tools in play.
Simply put, the agency aims to champion Canadian brands and brands that want to win in Canada. This comes to life through three key pillars. First, a deep market knowledge through proprietary Canadian research and feet on the ground presence across the country. Second, an agency culture with an entrepreneurial spirit built on over 40 years of client success. Finally, a uniquely Canadian data stack that provides unparalleled audience segmentation capabilities that reaches 29 million unique Canadians across over 5,000 data points.
This sets the foundation that enables everyone at Media Experts to consistently deliver the most effective work for their clients.
For example, when Pizza Pizza wanted to drive online sales and address consumer concerns about rising food prices, Media Experts crafted an attention-grabbing media strategy to complement conversations about “shrinkflation.”
The QSR chain’s “Growflation” campaign offered a large pizza for the price of a small. Media Experts worked with Pizza Pizza to engage with audiences on Reddit, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram, infusing humour into online discussions about inflation, and showing that the brand cared about Canadians’ financial concerns. The effort helped generate 20,000 online orders and more than $1.5 million in sales.
To help Pizza Pizza cleverly tackle inflation concerns Media Experts worked in collaboration with Zulu Alpha Kilo on their ‘Growflation’ campaign. The brand infused humor and relevance across strategic digital platforms and distinguished the QSR as a responsive ally amidst the competition.
Understanding Canada’s diverse audiences is a key component of Media Experts’ mission, a strength it demonstrated in a recent push for Truly Hard Seltzer.
The ready-to-drink (RTD) brand has been leaning into support for the arts to differentiate itself in a competitive market. Through its “Make Space” project, it has looked to fund and create opportunities for underrepresented Canadian creatives, particularly those from BIPOC communities.
As part of “Make Space,” the brand hosted the “Truly Flavour Face Off” in Toronto, a live paint battle featuring two teams of artists working together to create art. Media Experts worked to amplify the brand’s message beyond the city by showcasing 50 emerging Canadian artists and utilizing targeted advertising on platforms like YouTube, Reddit and Snapchat.
The campaign resulted in a sold-out event, a boost in ad recall and purchase intent to well above brand benchmarks, and a staggering 16 million impressions on Reddit, thanks to a category takeover on the platform.
Media Experts helped the hard seltzer brand Truly establish itself as a champion of inclusivity with their Make Space Project. They did this through a live art battle, and also provide a platform for over 50 emerging artists to sell their work.
“Successes like these are a result of the agency’s long presence in the Canadian market and its deep understanding of what Canadians want,” Wegert says. “Our structure, approaches and technology are uniquely tailored for this market. At a time when so much is being standardized and globalized, our deep understanding of the nuances of Canada offers our clients a distinct advantage. Ultimately, we are more than Media Experts; we are also Canadian Experts.”
CONTACT:
Karel Wegert
CEO
karel.wegert@mediaexperts.com
The 2024 A-Listers:
Zulu Alpha Kilo: Mastering the new speed of marketing
VML: Embracing modern creativity to build connected brands
Zerotrillion: New pathways to growth
Edelman: Distilling ideas to amplify impact
Dentsu: Fusing art and science
Will: Think hard. Be brave. Stand out
Leo Burnett: Creative consultancy approach yields true connections
Weber Shandwick: Charting a path for brands’ future needs
Pomp & Circumstance: Ruthless creativity forges new paths for PR
G&G Advertising: Indie Spirit meets full-service bench strength
